Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

A In recent years, local politics has become increasingly socially conservative. This has manifested itself in a number of ways, including police crackdowns on gay venues across the city, especially gay hamams and spas, which are regularly accused of breaching public decency laws. If you visit one of these hamams, there is a chance that you could be caught up in a police raid. LGBT Travellers Homosexuality isn’t illegal in Turkey, but neither is it officially legal. There’s a generally ambivalent attitude towards it among the general population, although there are sporadic reports of violence towards gay people, and conservative İstanbullus frown upon open displays of affection between persons of the same sex. Useful websites include the following: IstanbulGay.com Handy guide to the gay, lesbian and transgender scenes in the city. It includes plenty of information about gay-friendly clubs, bars and hotels. Lambda (www.lambdaistanbul.org/s) Turkish branch of the international Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Liberation Group. Its office is in Kadıköy. Pride Travel ( % 0212-527 0671; www.travelagencyturkey.com; 4th fl, Ates Pasaji, İncili Çavuş Sokak 15) Well-regarded, gay-owned and gay-run travel agency specialising in booking accommodation and tours for gay travellers. Trans X Turkey (www.transxturkey.com/en) Advocacy group for Turkey’s transgender community. Media The free media in Turkey has been undergoing something of a trial by ordeal over recent years, and the situation seems to be getting worse rather than better. This government interference has made sourcing impartial news a real challenge. There are now only two mainstream English-language newspapers: the Hürriyet Daily News (www.hurriyetdailynews.com) and Daily Sabah (www.dailysabah.com) . The Hürriyet Daily News is secularist and the Daily Sabah is unashamedly – many would say scandalously – pro AKP. The Guide İstanbul (www.theguideistanbul.com) is a listings-heavy bimonthly guide to the city that is available both online and in magazine format. Many of the city’s hotels offer copies of it in guest rooms.